I have been trying for weeks to get a document to print using the HP iPrint Photo App -- with no success. It can't find the printer (HP Photosmart C7280) even though that computer is listed as compatible in the HP support page. So I was delighted to discover that HP has a new printer App, the ePrint Business Print, described as much improved over the iPrint, so I immediately installed a copy. No good. It turns out that this one really does require a printer with ePrint feature (send the file to it by email) and it says in the fine print that the C7280 is not one of the ePrint qualified printers. So I dragged myself back to iTunes and I tried to go back to the iPrint Photo printer again since it is clearly described as for non-AirPrint and non-ePrint compatible. But it is no longer listed in iTunes! So I am thrown back to no printer. Does anyone know anything about this change? Do you know anyone who was able to print using the HP iPrint Photo with a non-airprint non-eprint HP printer, as it says in the description I should be able to do?

Sorry I posted this on another thread as well, but I am really hoping that someone can solve the mystery of printing on a wireless HP printer with some App.

Apple have their own proprietary printing protocol called 'AirPrint'. Only a few printers support it at present - HP is one of those that do and you can see if your model is on the list at the Apple web site

If it is there, then you can print directly under iOS 4.2 and 4.3 from apps that support in-app printing, such as Apple's iPad iWorks suite ('Pages', 'Numbers' and 'Keynote'). Not all apps support in-app printing, so you need to check out whether the app you're interested in does. For example, Apple's native iPad 'Calendar' app does not support in-app printing.

If your printer is not on the list then there are third-party apps that can help. Some printer manufacturers have released apps for PCs with their printers connected (i.e. Lexmark). On these models, an app on your PC or Mac 'pretends' to be an AirPrint printer and the app translates the AirPrint printing protocol into a form that the printer understands.

However, there are standalone apps for the iPad and 'Print N Share' is one of the best known. It can print directly from the iPad to a WiFi printer without any PC being involved. It does this by 'pretending' to be an AirPrint printer. It then, similar to the previous case, translates the AirPrint printing protocol to a form that your printer understands.

Most all WiFi equipped printers are supported by 'Print N Share' but even those few that are not are able to print via a PC using, again, a small (free) app that's available from the developers of 'Print N Share'. Once again, this app sits on your PC or Mac and links your iPad to the printer via your PC - meaning, too, that the printer can be WiFi, USB or even Bluetooth. The downside is that the PC has to be switched on.

One 'issue' that sometimes confounds users of 'Print N Share' is that this only works under iOS 4.2 or 4.3 - the iPad's 'multi-tasking' operating system (OS). 'Print N Share' needs to be loaded and running before you can print!! So, if you're going to be doing some printing, you need to first of all fire up 'Print N Share' and leave it running in the background. You can check whether it is running by double tapping the iPad's 'Home' button, to see the tasks that are 'loaded' in the 'Multi-task' menu bar. For various reasons, it's helpful if 'Print N Share' was loaded quite recently. If you haven't printed for a while, use the multi-task bar to 're-activate' it.

If you're happy to leave your PC switched on then another - and probably better - way forward is to use a PC program called FingerPrint. This is a program that runs on your PC and makes it 'look' like an AirPrint printer. It's as close as you'll get to plug-and-play printing for non-AirPrint printers. You simply download the program (there's a free 7-day version available so you can try it at no risk), install it, start the program (it automatically inserts itself into the PC's startup menu) choose the printers you want to offer to the iPad - it shows you the usual list that you get from a regular Windows print dialog box - and that's it. When you want to print on your iPad (there's no separate app for the iPad) you simply choose the print menu in apps that support in-app printing and FingerPrint makes your PC look like an AirPrint printer. You'll be offered, in the iPad, the choice of printers that you selected on the PC and off you go. FingerPrint receives the printing data from the iPad over WiFi and translates it into a form that your printer understands. I have it on my PC and it works just great.

Hope this helps, but don't hesitate to post any more detailed questions that you might have.

Tim, Thank you for your post. I got very excited when I read your suggestions and immediately installed FingerPrint. I set it to connect with my 4 or 5 printers (including the ones it set up itself) and made sure the PC (Win7) was on the same WiFi network as the iPad and I made sure that Fingerprint was running (using Task Manager). But the iPad2 still does not see any printers. I checked Pages, iBooks, Goodreader, DropBox, mail, Safari, but the printers do not appear anywhere. Out of desperation I rebooted several times and also connected the iPad via USB to iTunes, but nothing. I have now seen "No Printers Found" so many times I am ready to give up printing from iPad! Can you think of anything else I could try?

Sometimes (when I have not used the feature for a while) I have to try and select the printer several times before it shows up. I think the computer needs to wake up a bit. I'm using Printopia instead of Fingerprint, but it probably does the same thing.

Sometimes (when I have not used the feature for a while) I have to try and select the printer several times before it shows up. I think the computer needs to wake up a bit. I'm using Printopia instead of Fingerprint, but it probably does the same thing.

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I am sad to say that after my elation with Fingerprint the printers no longer show up on iPad Apps. When you say you have to select the printer several times, how do you do that? When my Fingerprint started not working ("No Printers found") clicking on the FingerPrint did nothing -- there was no opportunity to select printers. So I tried to uninstall and reinstall the software. It complained many times that it could not overwrite DLLs because of authorization problems (I was logged in as administrator). So I skipped those steps. After the reinstallation it still was not allowing my iPad2 to see the printers.

But here is the mystery. A visitor who was on my LAN was able to see and print from an iPhone3 (before and after the reinstallation)! That has me completely baffled. I wrote to Collobos support but have no answer yet. The brief time with being able to print from my iPad was enought to convince me that this is a feature I need.

I dont' really know. You might try restarting the router. I don't know why, but it's the only idea I can come up with, and it sometimes fixes network problems for the iPad.

You can also try Forgetting your network in Network settings and signing onto the network again.

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Well forgetting the network and resetting it with its password worked. But that's crazy since the network had been working all along for purposes of connecting with the internet (like when I posted here). I have heard that networks are notoriously temperamental and have had the experience with an internet radio which has to be reset with the password every time I change a station. In David Pogue's missing manual for Windows 7 he gives some hints on setting up a network but ends in frustration saying that networks are a strange part of a computer system and if you run into problems you should ask a 12 year old. He has a point.

Well forgetting the network and resetting it with its password worked. But that's crazy since the network had been working all along for purposes of connecting with the internet (like when I posted here). I have heard that networks are notoriously temperamental and have had the experience with an internet radio which has to be reset with the password every time I change a station. In David Pogue's missing manual for Windows 7 he gives some hints on setting up a network but ends in frustration saying that networks are a strange part of a computer system and if you run into problems you should ask a 12 year old. He has a point.

And thanks for your suggestion (you are not 12 years old are you? )

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I've noticed that being semi-retired is a bit like being a child again, in that I have few responsibilities and can do pretty much what I want with myself, but have no money to do it with.

Getting iPad to see my printers with FingerPrint only works for a little while, then I have to reboot (forget my network and then reconnect). (someone else on this Forum mentioned that the App seems to need refreshing now and then -- sounds like it has old tired gremlins). I have had a long exchange with FingerPrint Support. Although they were very helpful the conclusion was that it must be a problem with the iPad2 and they are not able to reproduce it. This conclusion was based on the fact that disconnecting and reconnecting to the network helped restore the printer visibility. While I was trying various diagnostic tests the trial license ran out so now I have to decide whether to blow $10 (not much in this business, but the prospects don't see bright for getting a useful App -- even their techie concluded that it would be a waste of money). The Printopia you mentioned is only for Mac (I'm Windows 7) and the other major product is from Eurosmartz (Print Central) has gotten some terrible reviews (along with decent ones too) and each feature requires an additional App). Anyone had good experience with it? It sounds like the Mobile-to-Print technology is not up to being generally reliable yet.

Print n Share is the best app solution I've heard of. It needs to be running in the background (start it before you go to the app you want to print to). It works directly with most wi-fi printers, but there is a computer program you can run for those printers that do not (similar to running Fingerprint on the computer, but only works with Print n Share).

I believe they have replaced it with something with "business" in the name. It turns out to only work with ePrint -- another HP proprietary standard that at least my HP does not have. I only found out after downloading it and trying it out and THEN reading the description.

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